In the state of Florida, if you receive a traffic citation you may chose, or elect, to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course to keep traffic citation points from being added to your driving record. Also, completing a Basic Driver Improvement Course will prevent your auto insurance company from raising your insurance rates based on a traffic citation unless you were involved in a crash.

Am I eligible to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course?

To see if you are eligible to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course, please visit the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles web site at https://services.hsmv.gov/DLCheck and enter your driver's license number.

A driver is not eligible to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course if the driver:

1) Has previously made an election to attend in the preceding 12 months

I have received a Florida traffic citation. Am I required to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course?

No, you are not required to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course. It is your choice. However, attending a Basic Driver Improvement Course will keep traffic citation points from being added to your driving record. Also, completing a Basic Driver Improvement Course will prevent your auto insurance company from raising your insurance rates based on a traffic citation unless you were involved in a crash.

How will I receive my Course Completion Receipt?

Once you complete the Basic Driver Improvement Course and pass the final exam, Wise Traffic School will post your Course Completion Receipt on our website. Simply reenter our website with your last name and course code. Your Course Completion Receipt will appear on the screen, and you will be able to print it.

There is no additional fee to receive your Course Completion Receipt. Many schools charge additional fees for mailing or processing. At Wise Traffic School, we do not. If you complete the course during normal working hours, your Course Completion Receipt should be posted within several hours. If you complete the course after hours, your Course Completion Receipt should be posted the next morning.

Where do I turn in my Course Completion Receipt?

If you ELECTED to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course for a traffic ticket or if you were COURT- ORDERED to take a Basic Driver Improvement Course, the Course Completion Receipt should be turned in to the Clerk of Court in the county where you received your traffic citation.

If you were DIRECTED to take a Traffic Collision Avoidance Course or a Basic Driver Improvement Course for running a red light, passing a stopped school bus, reckless driving, highway racing, or being a spectator to highway racing, Wise Traffic School will transmit your Course Completion Receipt directly to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Is Wise Traffic School approved by the state of Florida to provide the Basic Driver Improvement Course and the Traffic Collision Avoidance Course?

Yes, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has approved Wise Traffic School as a provider of the Basic Driver Improvement Course and the Traffic Collision Avoidance Course.

How many points will I receive for my traffic citation?

If you do not attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course, most traffic citations result in 3 or 4 points being added to your driving record. Points are awarded as follows:

6 Points – Leaving the scene of a crash or speeding that results in a crash

4 Points – Moving violations (such as careless driving, following too close, failure to yield, or improper backing, etc.) that result in a crash, or reckless driving, or running a red light, or passing a stopped school bus, or speeding of 16 MPH or more over the speed limit.

3 Points – Speeding of 15 MPH or less, and other moving violations (such as failing to stop at a stop sign, failing to use your turn signal, or following too close, etc.)

How many points can I receive before I lose my driver’s license?

If you receive 12 points in twelve months, your driver’s license will be suspended. The period of suspension will depend on the number of points received and the number of months during which the points were assessed.

How long do I have to pay my traffic fine and to elect to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course?

Your traffic fine must be paid within 30 days, or an additional financial penalty will be assessed and your driver’s license may be suspended. You must pay your traffic fine to the Clerk of Court in the county where you received your traffic citation.

If you plan to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course, you must inform the Clerk of Court when you pay your traffic fine. If you do not elect to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course when you pay your traffic fine, you will be considered guilty of the offense and will not be eligible to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course.

If you have already paid your traffic fine and did not elect to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course because you were not aware of this option, you may write a short letter to the traffic court judge in the county where you received your traffic citation to request permission to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course to keep traffic citation points from being added to your driving record. In this case, please do not take a Basic Driver Improvement Course until you receive authorization from the traffic court judge.

Does Wise Traffic School charge any additional hidden fees for the Basic Driver Improvement Course or the Traffic Collision Avoidance Course?

No, at Wise Traffic School, the STATED price is always the TOTAL price! Unlike many of our competitors, we never charge additional fees such as:

Attending a Basic Driver Improvement Course will keep traffic citation points from being added to your driving record for moving violations. What is a moving violation?

Examples of moving violations would include speeding tickets, failure to stop for a red light or stop sign, failure to use turn signals, following too close and careless driving. Tickets for failing to wear seat belts, inoperative lights, and driving under the influence are not considered to be moving violations. If you have any questions about the type of citation you have received you should contact Wise Traffic School or the Clerk of Court for the county where you received your citation.

I have been court-ordered to attend a Basic Driver Improvement/Defensive Driving Course. Will the Wise Traffic School Basic Driver Improvement Course fulfill this requirement?

If a judge has ordered you to attend a four-hour Basic Driver Improvement/Defensive Driving Course, the Wise Traffic School Basic Driver Improvement/Defensive Driving Course will fulfill this requirement. However, you must make certain that the court order requires a FOUR-HOUR Basic Driver Improvement/Defensive Driving Course. If you go to court to contest your traffic citation, the judge may decide to withhold adjudication on your traffic citation and court-order you to attend a four-hour Basic Driver Improvement/Defensive Driving Course. Once you complete this course, points will not be added to your driving record for the traffic citation.

I have been directed by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) to attend a four-hour Traffic Collision Avoidance Course (TCAC) or a Basic Driver Improvement Course for one of the following violations: running a red light, passing a stopped school bus, reckless driving, highway racing, or being a spectator to highway racing. Will the Wise Traffic School Basic Driver Improvement Course fulfill these requirements?

Yes, the Wise Traffic School Basic Driver Improvement Course will fulfill these mandatory, DHSMV-directed requirements. The Basic Driver Improvement Course and the Traffic Collision Avoidance Course are the same courses.

You will be directed to attend a Traffic Collision Avoidance Course if you have been at fault in two traffic crashes in the past two years with property damage of over $500, or if you were at fault in a crash where someone died or had to be transported from the crash site to a hospital.

If you ELECT to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course when you pay your traffic fine to keep traffic citation points from being added to your driving record, your ELECTION will also fulfill the MANDATORY DHSMV requirement to complete a Traffic Collision Avoidance Course or a Basic Driver Improvement Course.

How often can I elect to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course?

In the state of Florida, you may elect to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course as long as you have not made an election in the past twelve months or more than five times in your lifetime. If you have made an election in the past, you will not be eligible to make an additional election until twelve months after your previous election date. Your previous election date is the date you paid your traffic fine and informed the Clerk of Court in the county where you received your traffic citation that you planned to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course.

If you have previously been court-ordered to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course or directed by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course for running a red light, passing a stopped school bus, reckless driving, highway racing, or being a spectator to highway racing, that course does not count as one of the five elections in your lifetime. Also, you may attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course if you are court-ordered to do so or directed by the DHSMV to do so even if you have previously made five elections in your lifetime.

I have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Can a driver with a CDL elect to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course to get points removed from his/her driver record?

In the state of Florida, you may NOT elect to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course if you have a Commercial Driver's License, even if your traffic citation was in your personal vehicle. However, some drivers with CDLs have gone to court and successfully petitioned the traffic court judges to withhold adjudication and traffic points for their traffic citations and to COURT-ORDER them to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course.

I was cited for driving 30 or more miles per hour over the speed limit. Can I elect to attend a Basic Driver Improvement Course?

No, if you were cited for driving 30 or more miles per hour over the speed limit, you are NOT eligible to elect to attend a four-hour Basic Driver Improvement Course.

I do not have a traffic citation. Will taking your Basic Driver Improvement Course reduce my auto insurance rates?

Some auto insurance companies offer rate reductions if their clients take a four-hour Basic Driver Improvement Course that is approved by the state of Florida. Before taking our course to reduce your auto insurance fees, please contact your auto insurance company to find out if they offer a rate reduction for drivers who complete a Basic Driver Improvement Course.